


Tell All Your Friends

by zorac



Series: Echo Park - an anthology [11]
Category: Life Is Strange (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Timelines, F/F, Sacrifice Chloe Ending
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-26
Updated: 2017-08-06
Packaged: 2018-12-07 08:46:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 15,893
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11620053
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/zorac/pseuds/zorac
Summary: After everything that she’s done, Victoria’s road to redemption will be neither short nor easy. With Kate as her unexpected guide, however, she just might be able to find the way.





	1. Friday

There was a knock at the door – soft, tentative; Kate wondered who it could be. She only had one real friend left at Blackwell, and Max had picked her up from the hospital earlier. They’d just spent a couple of hours talking, over endless cups of tea – a much-needed dose of normality. She heard shuffling outside, as if the person there was deciding to leave, so Kate hurried over to the door and opened it.

It was perhaps the last person she would have expected: Victoria Chase. She looked nervous, a far cry from her usual confident poise. Her eyes were red and puffy, as if she’d been crying, and she seemed unable to look directly at Kate. In place of her usual elegant attire, she was wearing a baggy T-shirt and yoga pants. Slowly wringing her hands, she tried to speak. “Kate, I…” her voice trailed off; it was as if there was something she was desperate to say but, now the moment had come, she seemed unable to find the words.

“I forgive you,” said Kate, simply. Victoria might be struggling to actually say it, but her desire to repent was clear as crystal.

“What? No!” Victoria’s response was immediate. “I don’t deserve forgiveness from anyone, least of all you.”

“The fact that you feel that way is the very thing that makes you deserving.” This reply seemed to throw Victoria completely. Clearly the conversation had not gone as she planned, and now she just looked lost. “Come in. I’ll make us some tea.”

Victoria allowed herself to be led in and sat down. She watched mutely while Kate boiled her kettle and prepared the teapot and cups. After a few minutes, a hot drink was pressed into her hands; she took it, and sipped slowly. Eventually, Kate prompted her: “Talk to me, Victoria. I got your card while I was in the hospital, but I have a feeling this is about more than just that.”

She took a deep breath. “I didn’t come here because I want forgiveness, I came here because I want to… no, because I _need_ to apologize; something I failed to do on that card.” A rueful snort, “but I guess you already figured that out.”

“Yes, but I’d like to know exactly what you feel you have to apologize for, and what it was that made you decide to come and see me.”

“I’ve never been nice to you, Kate. From the very beginning, even when I didn’t know you at all, you were an easy target for little bits of meanness. You didn’t do anything to deserve that; hell, I’m pretty sure I’ve never met a person less deserving of my scorn. All you did was commit the terrible crime of being _different_ , of not fitting in with any of the cliques. Still, it set a pattern of behavior, and those aren’t easily changed.”

“Then, the night of that Vortex Club party… I didn’t know you’d been drugged, I just thought you’d had too much to drink. So, when I saw what you were doing, even though I knew how totally out of character it was, I didn’t do anything to help you.” She stopped and looked up, tears in her eyes. “I laughed at you, and made sure to capture it all on video. What kind of person does that?”

Kate shrugged. “A teenage girl. We’re conditioned from an early age to believe that if we want to be part of the popular crowd, we have to make fun of the girls who aren’t.” After a brief pause, she added, “that said, by the time they’re eighteen, most people have grown out of it.”

Victoria winced. “You’re right, and even ignoring my age, that doesn’t excuse anything. That doesn’t stop it being wrong. I’ve never seen _you_ act like that, and somehow I doubt that you ever have.”

Kate was already nodding. “Exactly, but while explanations are not excuses, understanding why you have a behavior is the first step on the road to changing it – if you want to. And _I’m_ not like that because my mother beat her supposedly Christian values into me from an early age, leading me to believe that even _wanting_ to be one of the popular girls was a sin.”

“When you say that she beat her values into you, do you mean…” She stopped herself. “I’m sorry, that’s really none of my business, and I’m the last person you’d want to talk to anyway.”

“That’s alright, Victoria. The fact that you care enough to ask means a lot to me.”

Victoria digested that for a moment, then returned to her apology. “After the party, I showed the video to… to Nathan.” There was undisguised hatred in her voice as she spat out the name. “He took a copy and posted it to YouTube. At the time, I just though that was funny, and made sure to spread it around. I wanted to make sure that everyone saw it; I didn’t stop to think what effect it would have on you. I was just… showing off for my friends.”

“Finally, that day, when you were… you were up on the roof. I didn’t do anything to help, I didn’t even do anything to stop the people who were cheering you on, I just made sure to catch _that_ on video too. And even though some small part of me knew that it was at least partly my fault you were up there, I still didn’t think that I’d done anything wrong.” She stopped for a moment. “How can you forgive all that?”

Kate considered for a moment, choosing her words carefully. “Because nothing you did was final, none of the consequences are beyond repair. I’m not going to pretend that the things you did and said didn’t hurt me terribly. I went through hell for more than a week; remember, you were far from being my only tormentor. There are people in my family who will never look at me the same way again. I felt like there wasn’t anyone in the world who cared about me – except maybe Max.”

“I was ready to throw myself off that roof, but I didn’t. I’m still alive, and the rest of it will pass with time. I’m already in a much better place than I have been since before that party. I’ve learned things – valuable things – about myself, my family, and the people around me, things that I might not otherwise have found out.” She smiled, “really, I should be tha…”

Victoria cut her off. “Please don’t. Don’t thank me.” Kate looked at her quizzically. “I never could stand that trope – ‘you did that terrible thing, but it made me discover something about myself, so really I should thank you.’ People should be thanked when they _choose_ to do something good, not when some small bit good just happens to come out of a bad thing they did.”

Kate gave her an approving nod. “Okay. So, I think you’ve answered my first question. Now for the second: what made you change your mind about what you’d done? What made you come and apologize to me?”

“It was after everything came out about Mark and Nathan, when I found out that he drugged you at that party. Making fun of the good girl who had too much to drink and got a little bit wild? That was excusable because she brought it on herself. But laughing at the girl who’d been drugged and kidnapped, and making sure that everyone else laughed at her too? That was despicable. Of course, I hadn’t known at the time, but that just made an apology all the more necessary.”

“So… that’s why?” Victoria could see a hint of disappointment on Kate’s face, so she hurried on.

“No, just… the catalyst. That night I couldn’t sleep, I just kept going over and over it in my mind. If it was so despicable to make fun of you if you were drugged, why was it okay if you were just drunk? What did it say about me that I thought like that? No matter what the cause, you obviously weren’t yourself at that party, and I should have had a responsibility to help you; not just as one of the organizers, but as a decent human being.”

“That’s when I realized the answer to my second question. It says that I’m a horrible person. Someone who doesn’t hesitate to put other people down to make myself look good – or just because I can. And not even in little ways, I was _cruel_ about it, and I _enjoyed_ it. I made your life hell just to prove to some other mean girls that I was meaner than them.”

She looked up at Kate, the tears streaming down her face now. “I don’t want to be that person any more. I can’t bear the thought that I might cause someone else as much pain as I caused you. What if next time there isn’t a Maxine Caulfield there to talk them down? I have to be better than that. I owe it to you, and I owe it to myself. If I carry on like this I’ll end up alone, and deservedly so, having left nothing but a trail of pain behind me.”

“I need to change. I’m not really sure how, but I know that it has to start with you, with this apology.” She took Kate’s hands in her own and looked her straight in the eye. “I am so, so sorry. For… everything. Not just for the party, and the video, but for every little bit of meanness since your first day at Blackwell. You never did a single thing to deserve any of it; you’re the kindest, sweetest person I’ve ever met.”

“I know you said that you forgive me,” she choked out, “but I’m not sure if I’ll ever be able to forgive myself.” She lowered her head as the sobs wracked her body. Then something happened that she would never have expected. Victoria felt gentle arms wrapping around her, pulling her close. Unsure of what to do, and finding to her surprise that this was what she needed, she let Kate hold her while she cried out all her pain. The two girls stayed like that for a very long time.

* * *

When Victoria’s mind resurfaced, there was a moment of confusion before she remembered where she was. Her head was resting against Kate’s chest, the other girl softly stroking her hair. She’d never felt so comfortable, so safe, or so loved; she wondered what that said about her childhood. Slowly, she sat up, feeling Kate’s arms release her only reluctantly. “Did I fall asleep?”

“For a little while. You needed it; I don’t think I’ve ever seen anyone cry so hard.”

“You’re right about me needing that. It felt like the tears had been building up inside of me for days.”

“How do you feel now?”

“Different. Drained, but somehow… lighter? I’m not sure if that makes much sense.”

“It does. You’ve been through a lot.”

“Not as much as you!” Victoria protested.

“Perhaps, perhaps not. It’s one thing to feel like the world hates you, it’s something very different to find you feel that way about yourself. Neither is something that you can get over quickly.”

Victoria asked the question that had been on her mind since the first thing Kate said. “Why are you being so nice to me?”

“Because I’ve never seen someone so sincere in an apology, because I genuinely believe that you want to change, and because I think that deep down you’re a good person. I saw someone in pain, and I wanted to help. As you said earlier, just because that pain was self-inflicted shouldn’t make me any less willing to do something about it.”

“Thank-you. It’s just… last week I was your worst enemy in the world, and today you’re treating me with more kindness than any one else has ever shown me. I guess I’m a bit overwhelmed by that.”

Kate was beginning to wonder about what Victoria’s home life was like growing up – from what she’d picked up, it seemed like it wasn’t a happy one. That might explain a lot, but she decided that it wasn’t the time to press the matter. “Earlier, you said that you wanted to change, to become a better person. If you’re serious about that, then I’d like to help you, if you’ll let me. Even if it’s just as a friendly ear, someone to talk things through with.”

Victoria stared at her for a moment, at first surprised by the offer, then realizing that this was the core of who Kate was: someone who honestly wanted to help the people around her, no matter what. A smile spread across her face. “That would be really nice, actually. I don’t think this is going to be easy for me; I’m probably going to find it difficult to avoid reverting back to my old behaviors, especially around the Vortex Club people. I could use a friend who’s willing to call me on it when I do that.”

“A… friend?”

Victoria looked stricken. “I’m sorry, that was incredibly presumptuous of me. What I meant was…”

“Shhh. It’s alright. I was just surprised that you would even consider being friends with me. I… I don’t have many friends, but I think I might like it if you were to become one of them.”

“I would be honored,” she replied, tearing up again.

“No more of that,” said Kate, mock-sternly. “Look, it’s getting very late. I don’t know about you, but I could really do with some sleep.”

Victoria looked downcast. “Yeah, I should probably go back to my room,” she said reluctantly.

Kate could sense her reticence, and realized that Victoria was still in an incredibly fragile state. She made a snap decision that a little white lie was in order. “No, I… this is my first night back from the hospital. I know this is a strange request, but please… please don’t leave me alone.”

“Whatever you need. I can crash on your couch, I didn’t seem to have any trouble dozing off here earlier.”

“Don’t be silly! The bed’s plenty big enough for both of us. Um… would you mind turning around for a moment while I change.”

Victoria turned away with a small smile. “Well, I suppose that’s alright. I’m pretty sure I can trust you to keep your hands to yourself.” She couldn’t see the other girl flushing behind her at the gentle teasing.

Kate quickly pulled on her pajamas and slid into the bed. “Okay,” she called. Victoria nervously climbed in beside her, staying close to the edge to leave Kate as much room as she could. Another hand found hers beneath the covers. “Goodnight, Victoria.”

“Goodnight, Kate.”


	2. Saturday

When Kate first woke up the next morning, it was in a most unexpected way. There was a warm body pressed against her back, an arm wrapped tightly around her, and someone snoring softly in her ear. She smiled, put her hand over Victoria’s, and drifted back to sleep.

When Victoria woke up cuddled into Kate for the second time in as many days, she decided that this was a habit well worth keeping. For a moment she was concerned that she might be taking advantage, but was reassured by how tightly the other girl was holding onto her. Realizing that she wasn’t going anywhere, she settled in to wait.

It was only a few minutes before Kate woke up again. “Good morning, sleepyhead,” Victoria greeted her.

“Says the girl who was snoring away half an hour ago.”

“That’s a scandalous accusation! I never snore.”

Kate twisted round to face her. “It’s a scandalous truth! Who would have though that Miss Victoria Chase would do something so un-ladylike? Besides, how could you know that you didn’t? You were asleep at the time.”

“I… just… humph.” Kate giggled, and Victoria was suddenly aware of how close their faces were to each other, noses almost touching. She would barely have to lean forward to press her lips to… “I should really get up. I promised Taylor we’d work on a photography project today, and I really need to have a shower and get changed, and…”

Kate smiled at the flustered girl. “And I need to start catching up on all the work I’ve missed, but check in with me later, okay? You went on an emotional roller-coaster ride last night, and I want to be sure you’re alright.”

“Of course,” Victoria replied, getting out of the bed. “I’ll see you again soon. And thank-you, for… everything.” She left the room, a smile on her face. Closing the door behind her she turned around to see someone glaring at her from across the corridor.

“What the fuck, Victoria?” demanded Maxine Caulfield from her doorway. “Kate’s barely out of the hospital and you’re already hassling her?” Victoria took a deep breath and fought the urge to shout back. Maxine was just looking out for her friend, and the accusation was hardly at odds with her past behavior. She walked slowly across to her.

“It’s not what you think. Please, just give me a couple of minutes to explain. You can check with Kate afterwards if you don’t believe me.”

Taken aback by the tone of voice, Maxine nodded curtly. “Okay”, she growled, “but this better be good.” She retreated into her room, Victoria following her.

“I went to see Kate last night to apologize to her. Instead, I ended up having a meltdown on her couch. She helped me sort through my guilt and self-loathing, and she… she forgave me. We talked, and I cried, for hours. She asked me to stay in her room because she didn’t want to be alone her first night back here.”

Maxine blinked. “That story is so utterly insane that it has to be true.”

“I’m not sure about the last part, I think she was more worried about _me_ being alone.”

“That sounds like Kate. She takes things like ‘love thy neighbor’ and ‘turn the other cheek’ seriously.”

“So I’ve discovered. That girl could make a saint look bad.”

“I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have gone off on you like that.”

“Don’t be; after everything I’ve put her through, you made a perfectly reasonable assumption. I’m glad that Kate has someone like you looking out for her. And… thank-you. For saving her, for fixing my mistakes. The world is a much better place with Kate in it, and I don’t think I could have lived with myself if I was the reason she wasn’t.”

“Okay, who are you and what have you done with Victoria Chase? Not that I particularly care what happened to that bitch.”

“She melted away, like the Wicked Witch of the West. I’m what’s left.”

“Well, the new you seems like a better person. Just… don’t hurt Kate again or I will personally disembowel you with a rusty spork.”

“I wouldn’t dream of giving you the satisfaction,” said Victoria with a hint of her old sneer. She paused. “Do you mind if I ask you something? How did you know what to do to save Kate? You took off out of that classroom before any of the rest of us had an inkling of what was going on.” She was completely unprepared when Maxine dissolved into tears. “I’m sorry!” she said awkwardly, not knowing what to do.

After a moment, Maxine composed herself. “No, that’s okay, I’m fine. It’s just been a hellish week for me. I know this is going to sound really weird, but I’ve had this constant feeling of déjà vu, and I’ve been getting these brief flashes of some bizarro alternate timeline; like… memories of things that hadn’t happened yet. It started on Monday, after I saw Chloe get…” She choked up.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t realize you knew her.”

“We grew up together, I spent more time at her house than I did at my own. Best friends forever – until her Dad died and my parents moved me away to Seattle. I hadn’t seen her for five years, and she was gone before I even realized who she was. After that, I started getting these visions where Chloe was still alive, and we were playing detective together, trying to figure out what happened to Rachel Amber, and to Kate. That’s how I found out about Nathan, Jefferson, and the Dark Room.”

“Wait, I though that that Madsen prick was the guy who put that together…”

“He was Chloe’s step-dad, and in one of my visions… let’s just say that David gave me good reason to trust him. Once I had it figured out, I told him that Chloe had been investigating Rachel’s disappearance and found out everything. That she’d left a letter for me with all the details before she confronted Nathan, in case something went wrong.” Maxine smiled sadly. “I always was good at faking her handwriting.”

“Anyway, I’ve gotten ahead of myself. In Jefferson’s class on Tuesday I had a vision of Kate up on the roof. It had just started raining, so I knew I didn’t have much time. I ran straight to the dorm; I guess I can’t have been more than a minute behind her, because she was just climbing onto the parapet when I got up there. I remembered what I said to her in my vision, and that’s how I was able to talk her down.”

Victoria just stared at her. Eventually, she said, “that story is so utterly insane that it has to be true.”

Maxine laughed at her own words coming back to her. “You don’t know the half of it.”

“Feel free not to answer this, but do you have any more details about what happened to Kate? All I know is what the police have released: drugs and kidnapping. You mentioned something about a dark room? If she _is_ determined to help me, then I’d like to help her too – but I absolutely understand if you don’t trust me.”

Maxine looked at her for a moment, considering. “The Dark Room is a bunker underneath an old barn the Prescotts own, kitted out with a photography studio. They would drug girls, take them there and then do a photo shoot while they were unconscious, or at least really out of it. There’s no indication that there was anything sexual about it; I remember finding the photos of Kate and some of the other girls, and they were all fully clothed.”

“That’s something, I suppose,” said Victoria, “but what _were_ they trying to do?” Then it came to her, and she looked faintly sick. “‘I could frame any one of you in a dark corner’… that bastard all but told us what he was doing. It’s a study in vulnerability – and pure fucking evil. God, I hate that I can see what he was trying do.”

Maxine shrugged. “You have a photographer’s eye, that’s not something you can just turn off. Besides, you’re right, that’s pretty much what Jeffershit said.” Victoria’s eyes widened as she processed the implications of that statement, but Maxine cut her off before she could say anything. “Look, not to be rude, but I _really_ don’t want to talk about this any more. Plus, I smell, so…”

Victoria immediately took the hint. “You really don’t want to give me ammunition like that, Caulfield; but seeing as I’m also in desperate need of a shower, I’ll let it pass.” She headed out, turning back for a moment just before she reached the door. “And thank-you for trusting me. I swear to you: I’d sooner cut off my own arm than do something to hurt Kate again.” She paused. “I can’t believe I’m saying this, but if _you_ ever need someone to talk to, you know where to find me.”

* * *

Late that afternoon there was a knock at Max’s door. She opened it to find Kate excitedly brandishing a tea caddy. “Hi, I picked up this new tea in town today, and I was wondering if I could interest you in a brew and…” Kate stopped, noticing her friend’s red eyes. “Are you okay, Max?”

“Yes… no? I don’t know.” She shook her head. “Come on in, I’ll put the kettle on.” She busied herself making the tea, and continued, “I went to see Joyce today.” Off Kate’s questioning look, “Chloe’s mom; I’ve been putting it off all week. I’ve known her for as long as I can remember, and she was like a second mother to me for years. It was really hard seeing her so… broken.”

“I’m so sorry, Max. I can’t imagine what you must be going through.”

“Please, Kate. No more sympathy. Not from you. Can we just agree that we’ve both had a really shitty week and then not talk about it any more?”

She considered this for a moment. “That works for me. I’m about ready to put all of this… crap behind me.”

“Whoa, Kate! That was, like, almost a swear word!”

“I’ve had a fucking awful week; I’ll say what I damn well please!” There was a moment of perfect silence as both girls realized what she’d just said, then Kate’s hand flew up to a mouth open wide in horror as Max burst into gales of laughter. Soon, Kate was laughing too, and it was a while before they calmed down enough to talk again.

“Thanks,” said Max, “I needed that.”

“You’re welcome, but please don’t ever tell anyone that I… dropped the F-bomb.”

“Of course, but in penance I’d like to know exactly why I caught Victoria sneaking out of your room first thing this morning.” She waggled her eyebrows suggestively.

Kate blushed a little. “She came round last night to apologize for, well, everything, but she was in a really bad way. What happened to me has forced her to re-examine herself, and she really doesn’t like the person she’s become. She just seems so… lost, and I want to help her find a way to a better version of herself. I think that if she can get past her insecurities and bring herself to drop that ‘Alpha Bitch’ persona, to just be who she really is, then she could be an awesome person. I want to meet that person; I’d like her to be my friend.”

“Stranger things have happened, and that’s just this week in Arcadia Bay. Although Victoria having a sleepover in your room is still one of the strangest.”

“She really put herself through the wringer in our talk last night. I didn’t think it would be a good idea to leave her alone with her thoughts just then. And I think maybe I was in serious need of some human contact too,” she admitted. “It’s actually the first time I’ve shared a room, let alone a bed, with someone who isn’t my sister. There are definitely worse ways to wake up…” she ended, a wistful smile on her face.

Max almost commented on that, but decided that perhaps she’d pushed Kate far enough for one day. She sipped her tea, and let the conversation turn to other, more mundane matters.

* * *

That evening, in a reversal of the previous day, Kate was standing nervously outside of Victoria’s door, hesitating for a moment before knocking. To her relief, she was greeted warmly. “Hey Kate, come on in.”

“I just wanted to check in, see how you were doing. You put yourself through a lot last night.” Victoria just looked at her. “What?”

“How do you do that? How do you care so much, I mean _genuinely_ care? What I put myself though yesterday is nothing compared to what I put you through over the last few weeks. Really you should be looking after yourself right now, instead of taking care of your tormentor.”

Kate thought for a moment. “Let me tell you a story. It’s about my Gran; she and my Granddad were happily married for over half a century. When you saw them together you could tell that they were still very much in love. Sadly, he passed away last year, but I have vivid memories of the funeral. He was a pillar of the community at their local church, so he’d been a good friend of pretty much everyone there.”

“The church was packed with grieving people, and yet there at the centre of it was my Gran. She was going round, comforting everyone else at her own husband’s funeral. I was in awe of her strength and compassion. She had far more reason to be upset than anyone else there – except maybe my Dad and aunt – but that wasn’t important to her. She didn’t see anybody else’s pain as less valid than hers, she just saw people who were hurting and wanted to make them feel better.”

“She sounds like an incredible woman.”

“She is; I hope you get to meet her someday. Anyway, the point of my story was that I’m trying to follow in her footsteps, just a little bit, by helping you.”

“And I’m sure that would make her very proud. But this isn’t quite the same thing, and you know it. I very much doubt that any of the people at that church ever meant your Granddad any ill will. I’m just worried that you’re looking out for me, but nobody’s looking out for you.”

“I was hoping that maybe you would, that we could look after each other.”

“Why me? I mean, of course, I’ll do anything I can to help, but…” she trailed off.

“Because what Victoria Chase wants, Victoria Chase gets. And right now, I trust that what you want is to make amends and become a better person.”

“Thank-you, that means more to me than you can imagine. But, if we’re going to do this, I need for you to be brutally honest with me. I know you said that you forgive me, but I need for you to take the time to make sure that’s really true; if it’s not just Kate Marsh, good Christian girl, who forgives me, but Kate Marsh, independent woman, too. I want for you to get mad at me if that’s what it takes. And we both need to be able drop our façades when it’s just us.” She took Kate’s hands. “It’s okay to not be okay.”

Kate looked at her and nodded. After a moment, she began to talk, in a somewhat detached voice. “I’m not someone who hates people – that’s too strong and dark an emotion to use on another human being – but I wanted to hate you so badly. You might not have been the only one picking on me, but you were the ringleader, so you became the target for everything I was feeling.”

Kate paused, and started softly crying; Victoria gathered her up in a gentle embrace. “That week… it was like I was living inside a nightmare. You and your friends were merciless, most of _my_ friends were nowhere to be found, half my family was ready to disown me. I… I tried to kill myself because of you!” She began beating her fists against Victoria’s chest. There was no real power behind the hits, and when she took her arms from around Kate, the other girl slumped against her, sobbing.

Victoria guided her to the couch and sat with her until the tears eventually ran out. “I didn’t mean what I said, not really. I mean, yes, you are partly responsible, but you’re far from the only one, and you’re certainly not the worst one.” She reached out and gave Victoria’s hand a small squeeze before continuing.

“At the hospital, I had all these flowers, and balloons, and cards – plenty of them from the very people who’d helped put me there. That confused me, but also made me feel a little bit better. I thought for a little while that I still had some real friends left, but when Max was the only person who actually bothered to come and visit me, I wasn’t so sure.”

“I’m sorry,” said Victoria, “I should have…”

“No,” Kate cut her off, “that wouldn’t have been a good idea. I’d probably have screamed at you; maybe even thrown things.” Victoria raised an eyebrow. “Okay, probably not, but I certainly wouldn’t have welcomed you. Then, on Friday, after Max brought me back here, it wasn’t one of my so-called ‘friends’ who was the first to come and see me; it was you. When I opened the door and saw you standing there, looking so… broken, that balloon full of negative emotions just deflated.”

“I realized that I didn’t hate you at all, in fact I felt sorry for you. It’s not my place to judge, so yes, Victoria, _I_ forgive you.” She hesitated for a moment. “I’m willing to give you a second chance, but you’re going to have to keep earning it, and I need you to know that there won’t be a third chance.”

Victoria nodded slowly. “Thank-you. I’m going to try very hard not to need one. How are you feeling? That was pretty intense.”

“I guess it was my turn to have a breakdown tonight,” said Kate with a small smile.

“I suppose that means you’re still not ready to sleep in a room by yourself?”

This caught Kate off guard, but she realized that she could really do with another good night’s sleep, so she decided to go with it. “If you don’t mind.”

“Of course, not. In fact I’d welcome it. Don’t think I didn’t pick up on the fact that you suggested it last night mostly for my benefit.”

Kate smiled ruefully. “Just let me pop next door to change; I’ll be right back.” True to her word, Victoria barely had time to delve through her drawers, find something that would serve as a nightie, and slip it on, when she returned. This time they were more comfortable together. Victoria wrapped an arm protectively around Kate, and within minutes they were both fast asleep.


	3. Sunday

Victoria was woken up by Kate disentangling herself to slip out of the bed. “Wuh?” she asked, eloquently.

“Sorry, I was trying not to wake you.”

“What time is it?”

“Just after eight.”

“It’s a Sunday!” she complained. “Why are you up so early?”

“It’s a Sunday,” replied Kate pointedly. “I need to get ready for Church.”

Victoria shook her head, trying to wake up a little. “Sorry, I should have realized that. I blame the early hour.” She thought for a moment. “Would it be okay if I came with you?”

“Of course!” There was surprise in Kate’s voice. “It’s just, you don’t strike me as the church-going type.”

Victoria hung her head. “I’m not. Weddings, funerals, and the occasional Christmas carol service are about it. Is it selfish of me to want to go now?”

“I suppose that would depend on why you’re doing it. Is this just an attempt to impress me with your contrition?”

“What? No! It’s just, what you said the other night about me needing to forgive myself? I’m not really sure how to do that, but where better to start than at a place that’s supposed to be all about forgiveness? Somehow I can’t see you going to one of those ‘fire and brimstone’ churches.”

That earned her a smile. “No, I’m not like my mother that way. And I didn’t really think your reason was selfish. I just wanted to make sure you saw that too. Um, please tell me you have something appropriate to wear.”

“Who do you think you’re talking to? Victoria Chase has at least three outfits for every occasion! Of course, most of those are back home in Seattle, but I can manage simple and dignified. When do we need to leave?”

“I usually head out at about quarter to nine, it’s about half an hour’s walk and I like to have time to spare.”

“I could drive us if you like.”

“Thanks, but there’s barely any parking near the church, and the walk is part of my routine.”

“Of course. So, if I meet you outside your room in about half an hour, then?”

“That sounds perfect.”

* * *

They walked in silence; Kate seemed deep in thought, and Victoria was loath to disturb her. When they got to the church, she saw that it was surprisingly picturesque, although for some incongruous reason she found herself thinking that it looked like it came straight out of a Steven King novel. Kate led her round the side to where the priest was greeting the meagre congregation.

“Kate!” the priest greeted her with a booming voice. “I’m so glad you’re still with us. I can’t imagine what you’ve been through this week, but if you need someone to talk to, then you know where to find me,” he finished earnestly.

Kate gave him a small, but genuine smile. “Thank-you, I’ll remember that. Happily I’m blessed with friends who are helping me. More so than I could have expected.”

“Is this the young lady who… ah… helped you on Tuesday?”

Victoria flushed with shame. “No,” she said, “quite the opposite, I’m afraid. I’m one of the reasons Kate was up on that roof in the first place. For some reason, she’s decided not just to forgive me, but to help me with _my_ issues, so that I never treat anyone else the way I treated her.”

The priest regarded her with an inscrutable expression for a few moments. “The road to redemption is never easy, but I think that you could not have asked for a better guide.”

Victoria looked at Kate and felt a sudden rush of emotions. Guilt. Pain. Self-loathing. Admiration. Unworthiness. Protectiveness. Love. Hope. She was still trying to sort through those feelings as Kate gently led her into the church and they sat in a pew towards the back. “Are you okay?” she asked.

“I… I think so. After the priest thought I was Maxine, it just brought everything back to the surface again. What about you?”

“I’m fine, really. Helping you seems to be helping me. It’s much harder to feel like everyone hates me when the person I thought hated me the most is working so hard to prove the reverse.”

Victoria felt a strange sense of relief. “I’m glad to hear that. I guess I was worried that being around me might be making things worse for you, but that you were doing it anyway because that’s just the amazing person you are.”

“You really think of me like that?”

“A genuinely good person who wants to help everyone around her? Yes, I’ve thought of you like that for almost as long as I’ve known you. It’s just now I see it as something to admire rather than something to mock.”

The church quietened as the service began; Victoria simply followed Kate’s lead on when to sit, stand, or kneel. The priest was clearly drawing on the week’s events for his sermon, but Victoria was pleasantly surprised to find that he wasn’t judgmental, instead calling on the congregation to help one another rather than simply asking God to fix their problems for them. She wondered if perhaps she’d been the intolerant one when it came to religion.

Finally, they were given a few minutes for quiet prayer. Kneeling there, she decided to give it a try. _Hi, God, it’s me, Victoria. I’m not really sure I believe in you, but I’m going to ask for your help anyway. I want to become a better person, one who truly deserves Kate’s forgiveness, and her friendship. I know it’s up to me, but anything you can do to assist would be appreciated. Oh, and please watch over Kate. I couldn’t bear it if anything else bad happened to her. Um. Thanks. Amen._

When she sat back up, she saw Kate giving her a strange look. After the priest had given his final blessing, she asked “what was with that look?”

“Sorry. It’s just, you seemed really intense there, like you were actually praying.”

“I guess I was, in my own way.”

“I know it’s a bit rude, but do you mind if I ask what for?”

“Of course not. I was just asking for help in my quest to become a better person. I also asked Him to keep an eye on you. I know that you’re bottling things up, and I’m worried that your road to recovery won’t be any shorter or easier than my road to redemption.”

They were headed for the door; Kate stopped briefly to thank the priest, then asked Victoria, “take a walk with me?”

“Of course.” They ambled slowly down to the beach. It was deserted, and Kate led her to what was obviously a favorite spot: a small hillock with tufted grass and a view across the bay to the lighthouse. They sat down together on a large piece of driftwood, and looked out at the sea. Eventually, Kate broke the silence.

“I need you to know that you’re much less to blame for me being up on that roof than you think you are. Even ignoring the fact that you were far from the only one bullying me, and that you certainly aren’t responsible for drugging and abducting me, there’s something else that meant I was already close to the edge before any of that happened. This is something I’ve never so much as hinted at to anyone, but for some reason I feel like I can trust you.”

“I promise I won’t breathe a word to anyone. I could never do anything to hurt you; not again.”

Kate nodded, and took a deep breath. “I think I’m gay.”

Victoria just sat there staring at her for a few moments, and Kate could feel the panic starting to rise before she finally responded. “Well, that explains a lot.” Kate made a choked noise of relief. “I’m guessing your parents wouldn’t exactly be supportive if you came out?”

“I think the absolute best I could hope for is that they would disown me. I wouldn’t put it past them to try sending me to one of those conversion camps, and I doubt it would be anything like _But I’m a Cheerleader_.” Seeing Victoria’s surprised look, she added “Max made me watch it. The church we just went to is rather more liberal than my parents’ one. That’s helping, at least a bit.”

“I can understand the parental anxiety. Mine weren’t exactly beacons of acceptance.”

“Wait, what? You’re…”

“Bisexual,” Victoria confirmed. “There were no threats, or lectures, or attempts to get me to change. They just made it perfectly clear that whilst they would be happy and eager to meet any boyfriends I might have, I’d better make damned well sure that they never so much as heard about any girlfriends. Ever since then, they’ve been even colder towards me than they were before – which I didn’t even think was possible.”

“I’m sorry, I had no idea.”

“I don’t exactly advertise it. One upside to being bi is that I can simply pass as straight and avoid all the bigotry. Of course the matching downside is that if and when I do come out, I’ll be liable to get hit with it from _both_ sides. Unfortunately, there are still plenty of people in the gay community who see bisexuals as indecisive, or ‘greedy’, or just plain traitors to the cause,” Victoria ended with a hint of bitterness.

“I’m sorry,” said Kate again, giving Victoria a sideways hug before continuing. “You don’t seem particularly shocked about me, though.”

“Well, to be honest, I would have pegged you as asexual, but that’s probably my own bigotry about your abstinence club. Seriously, the fact that you were brought up to be deeply religious has no bearing on whatever genetics determined your sexuality would be. It’s no more unlikely for you to be gay than anyone else, just… more ironic.” She paused. “I’m sorry, that was a little insensitive.”

“No, no, that’s fine.” Kate said with a small laugh. “I think it actually helps me to not see it as a life-or-death issue.”

“In that case, I apologize, because I’m going to get serious again for a moment. The night of the Vortex Club party, after Nathan’s drugs lowered all of your inhibitions, what if kissing all those guys wasn’t because you were secretly attracted to them, but was a last ditch attempt to prove to yourself…”

“…that I’m straight?” Kate interrupted. “Yes. That’s exactly what I think. It’s one of the reasons why I…” She stopped and leaned into Victoria, resting her head on the other girl’s shoulder. “Can we not talk about this any more?”

“Of course.” Victoria wrapped an arm around her, and they just sat there for a while, watching the waves come rolling in.

* * *

A couple of hours and a quiet stroll along the seafront later, they were sitting in a booth at the Two Whales, eager for something to eat. “Kate!” Joyce greeted her warmly, whilst pointedly ignoring Victoria. “Max told me what happened. How are you holding up?”

Seeing the deep sadness under Joyce’s forced expression, Kate made the connection to her conversation with Max the previous day. “I’m… okay. But I should be asking you that question.”

“I keep busy – it’s all I can do. The funeral is on Thursday, I hope you’ll come. I’m not sure if you really knew Chloe, but I’m sure Max could use the support.”

“Of course I’ll be there.” Seeing that Joyce was giving Victoria the cold shoulder, she volunteered, “we’ve just come from church. Victoria and I been helping each other through our issues.”

“What issues could you possibly have?” Joyce says to Victoria, her voice dripping with sarcasm.

She flinched. “Finding out that both my closest friend and a guy I had a crush on are monsters, murderers – and that if it wasn’t for Maxine, I’d be one too.” Kate reached out and took her hand, giving her the strength to continue. “Well, I still feel like a monster. I know it can’t begin to compare to what you must be going through, but finding out who you really are – and how thoroughly you despise that person – is no easy thing.”

Joyce’s face softened. “I’m sorry, I should know to trust Kate’s judgement.”

“There’s nothing to apologize for.”

“Alright then, shall I take your order? Kate, I presume you’ll have your usual?”

“Yes, please.”

“And I’ll just have some black coffee and a bagel.”

“Great. I’ll be back with your drinks in a little while.”

“I’m sorry,” said Kate, “I had no idea Joyce would be like that.”

“That’s fine, she’s entitled to feel however she needs to right now.” Absently, she realized that Kate was still holding her hand, and that neither of them seemed inclined to let go. “I wanted to thank-you for trusting me earlier, knowing that a week ago I would have gleefully spread that piece of information around the school. I’m not sure what I’ve done to deserve your trust, but it means more to me than you can imagine, and I promise I will never betray you.”

“I know you won’t. I think the reason is that you’ve seen exactly where that sort of behavior can lead, and I can tell how that motivates you to never do anything like that again.”

Joyce returned with the coffee pot and a pair of mugs. “Here you go. Your food should be out in a few minutes.”

“Thanks, Joyce,” the two girls said in unison, then shared a sheepish look. If she noticed that they were still holding hands across the table, she didn’t comment on it. It was only when she returned with their food that they reluctantly separated.

Victoria looked at Kate’s plate, piled high with pancakes and waffles, with undisguised amazement. “How can you possibly eat like that and not end up the size of a sumo wrestler?”

She laughed, “I don’t eat like this all the time. I come here maybe once a week, if that. Plus this will most likely be the only thing I eat today. More to the point, how can you eat like _that_ and not waste away to nothing?”

“I… I have to maintain my figure.”

“What on Earth for? You’re planning a career _behind_ the camera, not in front of it, so why are you trying for a model-like body?” She speared a pancake, then a waffle, and dumped them on Victoria’s plate. “Live a little, it’s not going to kill you to gain a few pounds, in fact it would probably put you at a more healthy weight.” She tucked into her own food, then after the first mouthful added, “besides, I think you’d look even more gorgeous with some extra curves.”

There were a few moments of silence, then both girls flushed as they realized what she’d said. “Um, can we just pretend I didn’t say that?”

“Pretend? Maybe. Actually forget? Never. All I will say is that I’m deeply flattered.” There were a few moments of awkward silence before she hurried on. “So, er, lovely weather we’re having.”

Kate relaxed. “That probably means that there’s a storm coming.”

Victoria looked out at the cloudless sky. “Maybe; but not, I think, today.”

* * *

The sun was just dipping into the sea when the two girls arrived back at Blackwell. As it turned out that neither had any outstanding schoolwork, they’d elected to spend the day wandering around Arcadia Bay, talking about everything and nothing, getting to know each other better.

“See?” said Kate, “I didn’t eat anything else, and that’s even after I donated some of my hard-earned food to you.”

“A fact for which I am deeply grateful. I doubt I would have survived the day without those extra calories.” She opened the door to the dorm building, and held it for Kate with exaggerated courtesy.

“Perhaps those missing carbs are why I’m craving ice-cream right now.”

“Aren’t deserts sinful, or something?”

“Perhaps, but I do have a fondness for Ben and Jerry’s, or ‘that hippy crap’ as my mother likes to call it.”

“That’s my rebellious little Kate! Any favorite flavors?”

“Cookie Dough, of course; oh, and Caramel Chew Chew.” They headed onto their corridor. “Look, do you mind if I pop in to see Max? I’m sure you could use a break from me.”

“Actually, I’m really enjoying spending time with you, but go right ahead. There’s something I need to do, anyway. I’ll check in on you later.”

Kate knocked on the door, and after a few seconds Max opened it and eagerly waved her in. “Hey, I’ve been looking out for you all day. Are you okay?”

“I’m… great, actually. Victoria asked to come to church with me this morning, and after that we wandered along the beach to the Two Whales for brunch, then we basically hung out around town this afternoon. Just talking, mostly, about ourselves, our pasts, our issues.” She took a deep breath, then said, “I think I like her, Max.”

“Well, yes, so I gathered.”

“No, I mean I think I _like_ her.”

“Oh. _Oh._ I never even considered that you might be…”

“A lesbian? It’s hardly surprising you didn’t figure it out. It doesn’t really fit with me being the uptight Christian girl; my parents will probably never speak to me again once they know. Besides, it’s barely a few days since I admitted it to myself. Victoria’s the only other person I’ve told.”

“Well, I wouldn’t call you uptight. And… to be fair, it’s not like I’m flying the pride flag myself.”

“Wait, are you saying…?”

“I identify as pansexual. So, yeah, I can see the attraction with Victoria. Physically, at any rate.”

Kate flushed. “Is anyone on this corridor straight?”

Max laughed. “I’m pretty sure Dana is, probably Stella, too.” She paused. “So, are you going to tell her? Reading between the lines I’m guessing that she ’fessed up to being not-straight as well.”

“No way! I mean, it’s not like she’s going to be interested in me.”

“Are you sure about that? She seems pretty eager to spend time with you.”

“And less than a week ago she was my mortal enemy. I mean yes, she’s changed dramatically since then, but it’s not exactly a solid foundation for a relationship.”

“Maybe it’s like that toxic crap they tell young girls about how ‘he only picks on you because he likes you.’” She shrugged. “Either way, you’ve been friends for less than two days. I suppose it _is_ a bit early to be rushing into anything more serious.”

“That’s what I was thinking. Besides, it’s not like I have any dating experience whatsoever…”

“Well, any advice from me would be like the blind leading the blind, then.” She hesitated. “So, how are you doing otherwise?”

“Better. Whether there’s romance in our future or not, Victoria seems to be what I need right now, as strange as that seems.”

“I’m glad.” She yawned. “I’m sorry, I seem to be really tired at the moment.”

“That’s fine, I should let you get to bed. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

Kate headed to her own room. A few minutes later, she was catching up on some reading when there was a knock at the door. She opened it to find Victoria holding a couple of tubs of ice-cream and brandishing a pair of spoons. “So, I decided to get both options rather than actually making a decision. Besides, one pint between two girls might not be enough.”

Kate let her in with a slightly bemused expression. “You went out to get ice-cream just because I mentioned I had a craving?”

“Yes,” Victoria replied, as if baffled that Kate even had to ask, “and it was totally worth it for that smile you can’t quite keep off your face right now. Besides, when you mentioned ice-cream, it made me want some too, so win-win! Which flavor do you want?”

“I’ll start with the cookie dough. We can always swap.” They both popped the lids and started to dig in. “So, really, why did you do this?”

Victoria shrugged. “I just wanted to do something nice for my friend.” Then, realizing what she’d said, she hurried on, “sorry, I mean the person I hope might someday be my…” Kate shut her up with a spoonful of ice-cream.

“No, I think you got it right the first time.”

“Really? You want to be my friend?”

“I do.”

“And you decided to jump straight to the feeding each other ice-cream stage?” she said, her eyes twinkling. “That’s going a little beyond ‘just good friends’, you know,” she finished with a seductive voice.

Kate flushed “I… uh… are you flirting with me, Victoria?”

“Only a little. I’m sorry, I can stop if it’s making you uncomfortable.”

“No. Well, maybe. Sort of. It’s just…” Taking a deep breath, Kate leaned forward and kissed Victoria softly on the lips. It was perfectly chaste, but caught off guard she flinched backwards. Immediately, Kate’s face took on a distraught expression. “Sorry, I’m sorry! I should…” She was already up, fleeing for the door.

Victoria quickly followed her, catching Kate’s wrist and pulling her into a hug. “Hey, hey, none of that. You just surprised me, that’s all.”

“I’m not sure why. You’ve seen my video,” Kate mumbled, hiding her face.

“Do _not_ put yourself down like that,” said Victoria sternly. She tucked a finger under Kate’s chin, gently bringing her head back up. “You were drugged; what happened at that party was _not your fault_. That’s not who you are; don’t let a piece of shit like Nathan Prescott define your life. And, for the record, I am more than happy for you to kiss me – provided you’re not under the influence of anything at the time.”

“You really didn’t mind?”

“Not even slightly. Come on, sit back down. We should finish the ice-cream.”

In the end they didn’t quite manage to finish all of it, or rather, agreed that they would probably regret it later if they did. When Kate made no further move towards her, Victoria decided to take the initiative. “Um, Katie, would it be alright if I kissed you now?”

“Katie? Only my sisters call me that.” Forestalling Victoria’s apologies, she continued, “but I think that someone who’s about to kiss me should probably be allowed to use a pet name too.” Victoria smiled, then leaned forward, softly pressing her lips to Kate’s. They stayed like that for a few moments then, fighting the urge to deepen the kiss, Victoria pulled back instead.

“Why’d you stop?” Kate asked, a little breathlessly.

“Because, much as I want to, I really don’t think we should go any further right now. It’s not even two days since we started down this road, and before that we were all but enemies. Both of us have emotions running high at the moment, so it’s probably best if we just take things really slowly.”

Kate smiled at her beatifically. “Thank-you. Thank-you for making me feel so cared for.” She stopped to think for a moment. “What I don’t understand is how someone so wonderful could be… that person you were before.”

Victoria sighed. “Looking back, I really don’t have a good answer for that. Was it a mask for my jealousy and insecurities? Was that who I thought I had to become to fight my way to the top of the cliques? Was it all part of some desperate attempt to impress my parents? I’m not sure, and that scares me; if I don’t know why I ended up like that, how can I be certain it won’t happen again?”

“Because you have me. I won’t let you do that; to yourself, to me, to anyone.” She pulled Victoria in for a brief kiss. “But I don’t think I’m going to need to. You’re a strong, determined woman. I don’t believe for one moment that you would allow yourself to become like that again. I have faith in you.”

“Thank-you.” It was almost a whisper. “You always seem to know the right thing to say.” She curled up on the couch, laying her head on Kate’s lap. “Plus you make a wonderfully comfortable pillow.”

She laughed. “I think you’re just angling to stay the night in my room again, Tori.”

“Tori?”

“No? You used a pet name for me so I thought I’d give it a try, and I’m not sure I like the sound of ‘Vic’…”

She shrugged. “It’s what most of my friends call me, but Tori is fine – it’s just been a while since anyone used it on me. I like the idea of having a name that’s only for you. Also, I _wasn’t_ angling to stay the night, but now you’ve put the idea in my head, I’m going to do more than angle for it.”

“You’re simply going to demand it? How very Victoria Chase.”

“Better, I’m going to beg. Please, please, please may I share your bed tonight?”

“Well, when you put it like that, how can I say no?”

“Very easily,” said Victoria earnestly, “if that’s what you want.”

Kate smiled. “It isn’t. After just two nights, I’m already used to not being alone; to having you there beside me.” She yawned widely. “I guess it’s time to move this to the bed, then. If we’re going to keep doing this, you should leave some nightwear here so you don’t need to sneak back to your room to get changed. Sooner or later someone’s going to notice, and I don’t think either of us wants that.”

Victoria grinned up at her impishly. “Or I could just sleep as I normally do, _au naturelle_.” It took a moment for Kate to realize what she meant, then she flushed bright red and got a slightly panicked expression on her face. “I’m sorry!” Victoria said quickly. “I was just teasing, I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable.”

“Th-that’s okay. What you said just made me imagine… what you might look like. I’m not sure I’ve ever thought about anyone like that before. It just felt a bit wrong, like I was objectifying you.”

“What I said was bound to make you have those kinds of thoughts, so there’s no way that you doing that could be wrong; it’s a very different thing from some random guy cat-calling me on the street. And seriously, I’m flattered that I’m the first person you’ve thought about that way.”

“The idea of anyone thinking about me that way…” Kate shuddered, then her eyes widened in horror. “Nathan…” was all she choked out before she began to shake. Instantly, Victoria was up and wrapping her in a tight embrace.

“It’s okay Katie, I’ve got you, and he’s never going to be allowed near you or any other girls. You’re safe now, I promise you I will never let anything like that happen to you again.” She held Kate for a few minutes until her shaking subsided, then pulled back to look her in the eye. “You need to know that there’s no sign that you or any of the other victims were ever anything but fully clothed. That’s not what they were after.”

“How can you know that?”

“The police have all the photos, and I… have contacts,” she said, having the feeling that Maxine wouldn’t want her telling Kate how she really found out.

“Thank-you, that does make me feel a bit better.”

“I’m sorry I teased you like that, I should have realized that it would bring up unpleasant memories.”

Kate shrugged. “I can’t hide from what happened to me; better that I face it in a safe place with someone I trust to look after me. Each time it gets a little bit easier.” Victoria gazed at her with a look that held respect, admiration, and something more that Kate couldn’t quite place – or didn’t want to acknowledge. “Anyway, seeing as I’m not entirely comfortable with you sleeping in the nude, I should find you a T-shirt or something to wear.”

“Not _entirely_ comfortable?” Victoria enquiried with a raised eyebrow.

Kate blushed again. “There is a part of me that found the idea… somewhat appealing, but the part of me that finds that thought deeply uncomfortable is definitely winning. At least for now.”

“Plus it _would_ be against the whole go-slow plan,” Victoria supplied helpfully. Somehow she resisted the urge to comment on the ‘for now’ part.

“Exactly,” replied Kate. She got up and looked through her drawers, pulling out her nightwear and a plain white tee. “I’m afraid my spare pajamas are in the laundry, but this should at least keep you decent.”

“Thanks,” said Victoria, taking it. “I’ll change over by the door; just let me know when you’re ready.” She quickly stripped down to her panties and pulled the shirt on; it barely reached her hips, and probably wasn’t quite as decent as Kate had hoped. For perhaps the first time in her life, she wished that she was wearing plainer underwear.

Kate hurriedly changed into her pajamas and went to climb into her bed, but her eyes were inexplicably drawn to the corner of the room. Her gaze took in Victoria’s long legs, shapely ass and lacy knickers for a brief moment before she forced herself to look away. She quickly dived under the covers, flushed with shame, embarrassment and, she was forced to admit, a little bit of desire.

 _Apparently religion doesn’t exempt me from teenage hormones,_ she thought, before facing the wall and calling to Victoria. She felt the other girl sliding in behind and snaking an arm around. Kate took the hand into her own and relaxed into the embrace. “Goodnight, Tori.”

“’Night, Katie. Sweet dreams.”


	4. Monday

They were woken the next day by the simultaneous alarm tones of two phones. “Ugh,” muttered Victoria as she disengaged herself from Kate, “why do mornings have to start so early?” She stumbled over to the desk, silenced her phone, then passed the other to Kate.

“Thanks, Tori,” she said with a beautiful smile, because _of course_ she was a morning person.

“I should warn you that I can be a bitch in the morning until I’ve had some coffee.” Seeing Kate’s raised eyebrow, she clarified, “ _more_ of a bitch.”

“I’m sure I’ll survive.” Kate leaned over and kissed her cheek. “Besides, we both need to get ready for class.”

“Right,” said Victoria, picking up her clothes. “Thanks for the loan of the T-shirt, but unless you want to get an eyeful, you should probably look away now.” Kate just sat and looked at her with an expression of pure innocence. For a few moments, neither of them moved, then Victoria started to pull up the hem of her shirt, and Kate hurriedly closed her eyes while she quickly got dressed.

“Alright, I’m decent now. For a moment there, I thought you were actually going to watch me change.”

“Near-death experience or no, I think it’s going to take a bit longer than a couple of days to break down years of ingrained beliefs and see me give in to temptation.”

“That’s fair enough; I’m in no rush. I should go back to my room to get changed properly. Could you check to see if the coast is clear?”

Kate opened her door and peered out into the corridor. “It’s safe,” she said, “I’ll see you later on.”

“Count on it,” replied Victoria, then hurried back to her own room.

* * *

It was late afternoon, and Victoria was in her room pondering when Taylor and Courtney became so annoying – or whether it was her that had changed. Certainly they’d given her very strange looks the two or three times she pounced on someone who was talking shit about Kate. She was eager to talk to her new friend, but the last class of the day was illustration, which didn’t finish for another hour or so. This meant that she wasn’t expecting the tentative knock at her door.

“Maxine?” she asked with surprise when she saw who her visitor was.

“Er… hi. Look, I’m sure you never really expected me to take you up on this, but I could really use someone to talk to.”

Victoria considered this. Her attitude towards Maxine had always been more about jealousy than actual dislike. If… _when_ things came down to a choice between Kate and the Vortex Club, it would be nice to count on having at least one other friend left. “Come on in,” she said brightly.

Maxine gave her a strange look as she entered the room and took a seat on the couch. “What’s with the unexpectedly warm welcome?”

Victoria shrugged. “You’ve talked to me, you’ve talked to Kate. There’s not really much point me keeping on my bitch-queen persona around you any more, and honestly it’s a relief to slip it off for a while.”

“Seems to me that it’s slipping a little in public these days. Don’t think I haven’t seen you standing up for Kate around your Vortex Club friends.”

Victoria actually blushed. “It’s the least I can do, after everything I’ve put her through. I couldn’t bear to see her hurting like that again.”

“You really like her, don’t you?” It was less of a question, and more a statement of fact. Victoria opened her mouth to deny it, then just mutely nodded. She did, however, give Maxine a look that suggested she’d better damn well change the subject _right now_. “I’m sorry. None of my business, and not why I’m here.” She took a deep breath. “I need to talk to… someone about my visions, and you’re the only one I’ve told.”

“I’m listening.”

“You might already have guessed this, but in one of them Jefferson had me in the Dark Room. I was tied to a chair; he was taking pictures and spouting some bullshit about how his drugged models were more vulnerable and ‘honest’. Then he dosed me again, and the next thing I remember I was lying on the floor with him posing me for more photos. It was just… horrible. I feel so violated, even though I know that it’s not really me that it happened to.”

She looked up at Victoria. “Is that what Kate went through? How does she cope with it? Should I talk to her about my vision, let her know she’s not alone?”

The last vestiges of her attitude towards Max melted away at the thought of what she’d been through – the fact that it might not even have been real didn’t seem to matter. “Kate doesn’t really remember much about it at all, just enough to allow her to process it and move on. I don’t think that dredging up more details is going to help her in any way at all.”

Max nodded. “Okay, that makes sense. I won’t breathe a word to her, I promise. There’s something else, though. I wasn’t the only one he had in the Dark Room; you were there too and it’s my fault.”

“How was it your fault?”

“Chloe and I had found out about Nathan, but not about Jefferson yet. We were at a Vortex Club party, trying to find him. I ran into you and warned you about Nathan; I’m not sure why, because we weren’t exactly friends then. I guess you believed me, because you went straight to Jefferson to tell him, and that’s why he took you. I’m sorry.”

“That doesn’t make it your fault, Max. You were trying help me. What happened afterwards, that’s all on Mark. You really don’t need to apologize for something that never even happened to me.”

“I guess.” She thought for a moment. “Actually, that reminds me; I remember finding an empty binder with your name on it in the Dark Room. Maybe they were already planning to come after you anyway…”

Victoria shivered, then they were both quiet for a minute or too. “Are you still getting the visions?”

Max shook her head. “Not since Friday night, and that one seemed to be the end of the story, although it doesn’t make a lot of sense.” She took a deep breath. “Chloe and I were up by the lighthouse, and there was this gigantic tornado coming in from the Pacific, big enough to obliterate the whole town. We were talking about how it was my fault, and Chloe was saying that the only way to stop it was for me to go back and let her die.”

She flushed. “We kissed, and then suddenly I was back in the school bathroom on Monday. Nathan and Chloe came in, and he shot her, just like it actually happened, and I did nothing to stop it.” Max paused for a moment. “Were they really memories rather than visions? Did I somehow live through last week twice? If it wasn’t for what I knew about Kate, and Nathan, and Jefferson, I’d just think I was going crazy.”

Victoria sat back, quiet for a moment. “I’m not sure what to say, Max. You’re not wrong that it sounds crazy. I believe you, because you saved my Katie, but I’m not sure you’re going to find many other people who will. If you’ve stopped having the visions, my advice would be to try and forget about them; you’re probably never going to find out what caused them. If you’re after some sort of explanations, you should talk to one of the science nerds, like Stella or… that guy she fancies.” She shrugged, “sorry I can’t be more help.”

“No, thank-you. Mostly I just wanted to talk to _someone_ about it. And honestly, your advice to try and forget about it is probably the smartest thing to do.”

“Rule one of weird shit: try and pretend it never happened.”

“Weird shit like you and me being sort-of friends?”

Victoria made a half-hearted attempt to be her old, bitchy self. “Exactly like that, _Maxine_.” She then proceeded to spoil it by snorting out a laugh.

“Weird shit like you and Kate being more than friends?” Max asked, shrewdly.

Victoria froze. “I never want to forget about Kate,” she said at length.

“I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have pried, and I swear I won’t breathe a word to anyone. Whatever’s going on between you and Kate, and whatever it becomes, it’s up to you and her to decide if, what, when, and who to tell.”

“I’m not sure what it is yet myself, and wherever it goes, it’ll be going there slowly.” Just then, there was a knock at the door, and Victoria hurried to answer it. Sure enough, it was “Katie!”

“Did you miss me, Tori?” Kate asked with a laugh as she came in, then blushed as she noticed the other person in the room. “Uh… hi, Max.”

“Don’t mind me,” she said with a genuine smile, “I was just leaving.” A moment later, she was gone.

“Max seems to have figured out there’s something going on between us,” said Victoria, “but she’s not going to tell anyone.”

“I may have sort of told her that I like you,” confessed Kate.

“That’s okay, you need to have someone you can talk to that isn’t me. Plus, I don’t think I’ve exactly been subtle around Max these past few days. She’s our friend; we can trust her.”

“Wait… did you just call Max a friend?” Then, realizing, “did you just call Max ‘Max’?”

“I suppose I did.”

“Truly, the end of days is upon us!”

“Ha fucking ha.”

Kate grinned for a moment, then took on a more serious expression. “I wanted to check in on how _you’re_ doing. We’ve not really talked about what Nathan and Jefferson did to _you_.”

“They never touched me,” she replied, dismissively.

“They betrayed you,” said Kate firmly. “Sooner or later you’re going to need to deal with that.”

Victoria looked at her for a moment, and then sighed. “Nathan was my best friend; a brother, almost. I should have known what he was doing. Maybe I could have stopped him…”

“Oh, no, Tori.” She stepped forward hand took her hands. “Do _not_ blame yourself; not for that. He was your friend, that must mean that you trusted him. You couldn’t be expected to know something that he was deliberately hiding from you.”

Victoria let out another sigh. “Maybe you’re right, it’s just… all those times I looked after Nathan when he forgot to take his meds – or he’d taken too many non-prescription pills – and this is how he repays me.” She hesitated. “I think I was supposed to be their next target. There was an empty file with my name on it in that bunker. If it wasn’t for Max…” Too late, she cut herself off.

“Max?” asked Kate confused.

“I shouldn’t have said that.” She grimaced, and her hand clenched reflexively. “It’s not my story to tell. I’ll just say that she helped to uncover what was going on.”

Kate thought for a moment, then nodded. “Okay. I can hardly ask you to break Max’s confidence and expect you to keep mine.” She paused, before asking, “seriously, though, how are you coping?”

“I’m keeping my head above water; I think that’s as much as I can manage right now.” Victoria smiled at her. “I’m not in this alone, that’s enough for me to know that I’ll be okay.”

Kate pulled her into a hug. “Me too,” she whispered.

* * *

Later that evening, Kate was curled up on the couch, finishing the last of her assigned reading. A loud yawn caused her to look up; Victoria was sat at her desk, where she’d been writing an essay. “Do you need an early night, Tori?”

“I think I might,” she admitted. “Somebody interrupted my Sunday morning lie-in, and it seems to be catching up with me.”

“You could have gone back to sleep,” Kate pointed out.

“I’m so very glad I didn’t,” said Victoria softly.

“Me too,” replied Kate. “Look, I’ve only got a couple of pages of this left to read and then I’m done for the night.” A few minutes later, she put her book aside and looked up to see Victoria unbuttoning her blouse. “Um, Tori…”

Victoria grinned at her. “Don’t worry, I’m not going to flash you.” Kate couldn’t seem to avert her eyes as the blouse came off to reveal a lacy camisole underneath. She watched as Victoria unhooked her bra, slid down the shoulder straps, and pulled it out from under her top. “Ta-da!” she exclaimed, waving it at a blushing Kate. When she started to unzip her skirt, Kate did look away. “Hey, it’s okay to watch; I’ll still be better covered than I would be in the swimming pool!”

“I know. It’s just this is… different, somehow.” She paused. “This isn’t seeing some girl in a bikini on the beach, it’s watching the woman I have a massive crush on getting undressed in front of me.” Victoria sat down on the couch beside Kate, and wrapped an arm around her. She was dimly aware that the skirt was gone now, too.

“Staring at the bikini girl, yeah, that could be considered kinda creepy. Watching the woman who has a massive crush on you very deliberately doing a strip-tease? That’s not merely permitted, it’s encouraged. However, the last thing I want to do is upset you, so if this really does make you uncomfortable, then I’ll find something more substantial to put on. It’s just… I’ve been getting a little overheated the last few nights, and I was hoping you’d be okay with me sleeping like this.”

Kate turned and gave her a shy smile. “Well, if you’re going to make the concession of wearing _something_ in bed, I suppose I should meet you half way. Besides, I can’t deny being a bit too warm in bed of late – you’re like a human hot water bottle!”

Victoria grinned at that. “You do realize that _me_ wearing less isn’t going to help you with that.”

“I know,” said Kate, blushing again. “I may have to forgo my comfy flannel pajamas.” She hesitated. “I don’t suppose you’ve got another top like that I can borrow?”

Victoria stared at her for a moment. “Are you sure?”

Kate bit her lip. “No, but I want to do this anyway. I mean, yes, it’s a bit out of my comfort zone, but it doesn’t feel like pushing too far. If we’re going to wait for me to be completely comfortable before we do anything, then we’ll be lucky if we have sex before we’re forty!”

It took a slack-jawed Victoria a few seconds to respond to that. “Um. Yes. I was hoping it might happen a little bit sooner than that, but I’m rather shocked that you’ve considered the possibility at all!”

Kate gave her a wry smile. “After everything that’s happened to me recently, the abstinence club doesn’t seem very important any more. That said, expect the brakes to come on soon; I think it’s going to be a long while before I’m at all comfortable with either of us wearing less than a bra and panties.”

“Duly noted. I won’t push you past that point.” She gave Kate a brief peck on the cheek, then got up to rummage through her wardrobe. When she turned back, there was a pair of eyes locked on her, so she walked languorously over to pass Kate a spaghetti-strapped tank top. “Here you go, I hope this is okay.”

“I’m sure it’ll be fine,” she replied distractedly. “Tori, you’re so beautiful!”

Victoria actually blushed. “Thank-you! I… I’ll be over there,” she pointed at the bed, “staring at the wall while you get changed.” A few moments later, she was doing just that. Behind her, she could hear the rustling of clothes and the sound of a zip.

“Okay,” said Kate nervously, “I’m decent.”

Slowly, Victoria turned around, taking in the sight of her wearing nothing but the skimpy top and some not-so-skimpy underwear. “Wow!” she exclaimed. “Katie, you’re… _hot!_ ” Kate ducked her head, embarrassed. A moment later, she found herself enveloped in a gentle hug. “Hey, it’s okay! I’m sorry, my mouth got ahead of my brain there.”

Hesitantly, Kate wrapped her arms around Victoria, tightening the embrace. After a moment’s discomfort at the amount of skin-on-skin contact, she allowed herself to enjoy it. “No, it’s fine. No-one’s ever said anything like that about me before – and I never would have wanted to hear it – but coming from you… it actually feels really good.”

“I’m glad. And… thank-you for what you said. I may be vain enough to enjoy even empty compliments, but hearing one that’s so honest, and from someone I really care about? That’s something else.” They stood there together for a couple of minutes, then she asked, “bed?”

Kate reluctantly released her. “Yeah.” A few moments later she was in the bed, but this time she was face-to-face with Victoria, their bodies pressed together and their legs entwined.

“Is this okay?” whispered Victoria. Kate managed a small affirmative noise. Victoria kissed her softly on the lips. “How about this?” Kate answered with a kiss of her own, less soft. Slowly, tentatively, Victoria deepened the kiss; Kate responded in kind, parting her lips to allow Victoria’s tongue access. They lost track of time as they explored each other’s mouths.

Eventually, Victoria pulled away and began trailing kisses around Kate’s neck, surprising a low moan from her. She’d moved on to the top of her chest when Kate gently pushed her away. “What’s the matter, Katie?”

“I… I’m scared, Tori.”

“Oh, Katie, I’m sorry. This is all my fault, I…” She was hushed by a finger pressed against her lips.

“It’s okay, Tori, you haven’t done anything wrong. I’m scared because all of this is so new, so far out of my experience – a week ago I couldn’t have imagined doing this with anyone, least of all you. I’m scared of where this will lead, and what it will mean for me – but at the same time I’m desperate to find out. I’m scared of somehow losing what we have and going back to being alone. And most of all, I’m scared of how much I want this, how ready I am to throw aside my old beliefs.”

“What can I… what can _we_ do to help you be less scared?”

Kate smiled. “What you just said, that’s a good start. And I need for us to commit to slowing down on the physical stuff. I don’t mean completely stopping what we’ve already been doing, because I really don’t want to do that, just… dial it back a little. And I do need to be secure that things aren’t going to go any further than kisses and cuddles, not until I’m a bit more ready for it.”

“I can do that. I promise you that I will not make any attempt to get past first base until you say you’re ready. Um, by first base, I mean…”

“I’m not that sheltered, Tori!” Kate cut her off with a laugh. “I am aware of those stupid baseball metaphors… although I’m not sure how a home run would apply to us.”

Victoria opened her mouth to reply, then thought better of it. “Anything else?”

“I guess I’m looking for some sort of definition of what it is we have, and where we see it going.”

Victoria thought for a moment, then said, almost shyly, “how do you feel about the word ‘girlfriend’?”

A slow smile spread across Kate’s face. “I think that may be the best word I’ve ever heard.”

“As for where I see this going, I don’t have a crystal ball. Maybe this will last until we go away to separate universities and drift apart, or maybe we’ll crash and burn before Thanksgiving, and maybe… just maybe we’ll grow old and grey together. I don’t know what the future holds, but I’m open to whatever it brings.”

“Wow. I… I wasn’t even thinking past the end of the month. You really think we could last forever?”

“I don’t know, perhaps not – we’re still so young… but I’d like to find out.”

Kate was silent for a little while. “Thank-you,” she said at last, “I think that was exactly what I needed to hear. I don’t feel so scared any more; I just feel… loved.”

Victoria was temporarily speechless. “Katie, I… I’m not sure I’m ready to use that word yet.”

“That’s fine, I’m not either. I just wanted you to know how you make me feel.”

“You make me feel that way too, ever since Friday night when you held me while I cried.” There didn’t seem to be anything more to say after that, so they just clung together tightly. Eventually, Victoria yawned again. “I think it’s time for me to go to sleep.”

“Turn around, then,” said Kate. “It’s my turn to be the big spoon.” Victoria slowly complied; Kate pulled her close and they both soon drifted into slumber.


	5. Tuesday

The early night meant that Victoria was spared a rude awakening from her alarm; instead it was the novel sensation of a hand stroking her abdomen, fingers occasionally slipping under the bottom of her camisole. She enjoyed it for a while, but eventually she couldn’t resist teasing Kate. “For future reference, sliding your hand a little bit further up would be a perfectly acceptable way of letting me know you’re ready to move on to second base.”

The hand was withdrawn, and Victoria found herself pulled onto her back, with Kate looming over her. “It’s too early in the morning for that kind of teasing,” she said, before leaning down to kiss her. “Not too early for this, though.” Victoria pulled her back down into another kiss, which lasted until their alarms went off. Reluctantly, Kate pulled back and grabbed their phones. “Time for me to go,” she said with a final brief kiss. “I’ll see you later.”

She quickly pulled on her skirt and blouse, before checking the hall and then slipping out of the room. A second later, Max emerged from the doorway opposite. She took in Kate’s appearance – and the bra in her hand – gave her a grin and a big wink, then sauntered off in the direction of the bathroom. Kate let out a sigh of relief and hurried back to her own room.

* * *

It wasn’t until after lunch that Kate realized that afternoon would be a week since… since she was up on that roof. She wondered if there was something she should do mark the occasion, and then an idea occurred to her. Victoria was in a class at the time, but she and Max shared a free period, so it was her freckled friend she dragged to the Principal’s office.

A very subdued Ray Wells ushered them in. “Miss Marsh, please allow me to express how ashamed I am for everything that happened to you at the hands of my staff and students. I’m responsible for the well-being of everyone at this school; clearly I failed you, and I am deeply sorry for that. If there’s anything I can do to help you now, you have only to ask.”

“Thank-you, I appreciate that, and I do have one request to make. I’d like permission to go up to the roof of the dormitory building after class today.” Max and Wells both stared at her in shock. “I believe that revisiting the ‘scene of the crime’, so to speak, will help me to move past what happened last week. Obviously Max would accompany me, for everyone’s peace of mind; she’s proven that she can be trusted to stop me doing anything foolish.”

Wells considered that for a moment. “Are you sure that you’re ready for this?”

“Yes. Knowing what really happened to me the night of that party – no matter how horrible it was – has really helped; I no longer blame myself. With the help of my friends, I’ve come to truly accept who I am and to see a happy future ahead.”

“Miss Caulfield, what do you think?”

Max considered for a moment. “At the beginning of last week, Kate was miserable, sullen and withdrawn. That’s all gone now, and she seems stronger and happier than I remember her being before. I wish I could take the credit, but honestly, I think that’s more Victoria’s doing than mine.”

Wells was clearly surprised. “Miss Chase? It was my understanding that she was somewhat… antagonistic towards you.”

Kate flushed, ever so slightly. “She was, but after seeing what I tried to do she had… I guess you could call it an epiphany. After Max brought me back from the hospital, Victoria was the first person who came to see me. She apologized profusely and confessed how much she hated the person she’d become. Since then, we’ve become friends and have been helping each other work through our issues.”

“Very well,” said the Principal. “Miss Caulfield, I’ll ask you to be in charge of the key; I’ll have my assistant give it to you on the way out. I’ll also have Mr Madsen informed so that he doesn’t disturb you. Miss Marsh, I’m very glad to hear that you’re feeling better; if there’s anything else I can do for you, please come and see me.”

“Thank-you very much,” said Kate, and they quickly left the office.

* * *

The sun was low in the sky when Max unlocked the door and led Kate onto the roof. They walked slowly across to the parapet and leaned on it, looking down into the quad. After a few minutes’ silence, Kate finally spoke. “It’s so strange to be back up here. Last week, I just wanted to end it all. To escape from my shame, from the bullying, from my sexuality. Now, I know that I have nothing to be ashamed of, and the worst of those bullies is my girlfriend.”

“Really? I mean, I was teasing Victoria about that even before I caught you sneaking out of her room this morning, but you two have made it official?”

“Yes,” said Kate with a big, somewhat dopey grin. “Last night. Please don’t tell anyone, though. I don’t think either of us is ready to come out yet.”

“Of course. My lips are sealed. Congratulations, though!”

Just then, the door slammed open behind them, and Victoria came flying through. “Katie?” The fear was evident on her face and in her voice.

Kate whirled round. “Tori?” she managed before she was pulled into a crushing embrace.

“I was so scared,” Victoria sobbed. “Dana said that you’d gone up to the roof, and I was terrified that…”

“Hey, hey, it’s alright. _I’m_ alright. Didn’t you get my text?”

“No, I… I forgot to charge my phone,” Victoria admitted sheepishly, wiping her eyes.

“I’m sorry. I only had the idea to come up here this afternoon, so I didn’t get the chance to see you in person; I should have made more of an effort.”

“That’s okay. I just panicked. If I’d stopped to think, I’d have realized that you’re not in that bad place any more.” After a moment, she stepped back and looked at Max, somewhat embarrassed. “Thanks for keeping an eye on my girlfriend, Max.”

“No problem. Principal Wells insisted I look after the key.” She held it up. “Congratulations, by the way. You’re a lucky girl.”

“Yes,” she said, taking Kate’s hand, “I am.”

“We both are,” Kate replied, beaming at her.

Max smiled at them. “I’m beginning to see that.” She paused. “So, did coming up here help?”

Kate cocked her head and thought for a moment. “Yes. I feel somehow… freer.” She was silent for a moment. “I think I’m ready to go in now.”

“Okay,” said Max. “You two lovebirds should go spend some quality time together. I need to lock up and return this key.”

“Thanks, Max,” said Kate, giving her a hug. “For… everything.” Then, she turned and led Victoria inside.

Max took one last look down at the quad. The Tobanga caught her eye and, for a moment, she could almost feel it watching her. Shaking her head, she turned and walked over to the exit. She looked back, and for a fleeting moment she could see the pouring rain, and Kate standing on the edge. The vision faded, and she smiled, thinking about how far her friend had come in just a week. Then, she left the roof, closed the door behind her, and locked the past away.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a short chapter, to bring this story to a close — so straight on to the epilogue!


	6. Epilogue

It was just before noon on a Saturday morning in early November, and the two girls were curled up together on Victoria’s bed; playing on their phones and listening to music. They’d had a lazy morning: cuddling, talking, and more than a little bit of making out. Still, it was clear to Victoria that there was something off about Kate.

“What is it, Katie? What’s bothering you?”

She thought for a moment, trying to find the right words. “I guess I’m feeling somewhat insecure that you still want to keep our relationship a secret. Obviously Max knows, but we’ve been hiding it from everyone else. I think maybe I’m a little bit upset that Victoria was all too happy to tell everyone bad things about me, but Tori doesn’t seem to want to tell anyone something good involving me.”

Victoria looked at her for a moment, guilt on her face. “You’re right, I’m sorry.” She hung her head. “I’m not even sure why I’ve been like this. I mean, I’m pretty sure that the truth will end my friendship with Taylor and Courtney – and the rest of the Vortex Club – but I don’t know why that even bothers me any more. You’re far more important to me than they are. Maybe I’m just waiting for some sort of… sign that the time is right.”

That was when she recognized the song currently playing, just as it launched into the chorus. “ _So tell all your friends, your neighbors too, CNN, BBC World News. Tell all your friends I wanna dream with you._ ” She looked at Kate, and they both burst into laughter.

“Well, I did say I wanted a sign!”

“Ask, and ye shall receive.”

“What, you think God has been messing with my playlist?”

“Of course not; iTunes doesn’t need any help from Him!”

Victoria sniggered. “Whatever. I can’t just ignore this.” She climbed off the bed, stretched, and headed for the door.

“What are you doing?” asked Kate.

Victoria gave her a devilish grin. “Telling all my friends.” She stepped out of her room and looked around, a strange confidence filling her. Several of the girls were hanging out in the corridor, and it looked like the others had their dorm room doors open. She took a deep breath, and shouted at the top of her lungs, “I love Kate Marsh!”

She waited for their reactions, almost disappointed by the lack of shock and surprise. Eventually, it was Juliet who broke the silence: “Well, duh!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Series notes: So, this is a case where the song title (and lyrics) very much inspired the story — this epilogue was actually the first part written. “Tell All Your Friends” naturally led me to Victoria as rumour-spreader-in-chief, and the twist of her _not_ wanting to tell her friends something, but something rather different from the meanness she spread in the past…


End file.
